Time for unity in bid for a university of Cornwall

The Cornishman has campaigned long and hard for just that following Exeter
University's bid to establish a campus at Trereife.

And while we still strongly support that bid, we are mindful that what is
now proposed is a much reduced scheme from the original, with the relocation
of the Camborne School of Mines forming the central plank of the development.

Now four college heads from throughout the county have called for a university
for Cornwall and they seem to be saying is that it should be established around
their existing colleges.

This of course bears examination for in the end of the day we should be looking
at the best long term option for the students, the best long term solution
to keep them in the county and and the best long term solution to attract
others from outside the county to the establishment.

In addition we should also be looking at the best option for attracting business
investment to the county: Would a university based at four different sites
provide such an attraction and could they be restructured to offer the facilities
that a purpose built campus would?

There are of course no easy answers but what is certain is that all those
wanting a university for the county should be working together to find common
ground so that they might make a unified and cohesive bid to achieve the funding
to bring this vital facility to Cornwall.

For while we continue to pull in opposite directions it becomes less and
less likely that we will ever achieve our central aim and that is a university
that the county and our children so desperately need.

University: Penwith to keep cash back in coffers
for the time being

by Alison Rowe
Staff Reporter

IN A WEEK when college heads are calling for a united effort to provide more
university facilities in Cornwall, Penwith Council has decided to keep money
earmarked towards a campus at Trereife tucked up safely in its own coffers
for the time being.

The council, meeting in secret last week, turned down a request from the
University of Exeter to spend £885,000 on buying Trereife, near Penzance.

Instead it has told the University it is still strongly committed to the
initiative, but will not spend any more money until it knows the effects of
what is a much altered scheme, basically involving re-locating Camborne School
of Mines onto the site.

The council also decided to tell Exeter University to buy a two month option
on the land itself, and once that is secured then the council will commission
an economic impact study to assess the effects of the proposals.

Penwith said that the request required the most careful examination, especially
in viewof the reduced nature of the initial proposals.

"In order to be fully informed in respect of the new proposals the council
will now be securing a detailed economic impact study to assess the effects
of the significantly different scheme, provided the University will extend
the time frame," said the council.

The council agreed that Exeter University be advised it was still strongly
committed in principle to a university campus and would still reserve the
£900,000 earmarked towards it.

The principals of four further education colleges in the county have backed
a call for more university facilities. Cornwall College at Pool will soon
be publishing a consultative document setting out its view on how to provide
more higher education courses locally.

Campus

This would involve developing the existing college campus as well as those
at St Austell College, Truro College and Penwith College.

Cornwall college principal, Dr Alan Stanhope said that it would involve a
campus, but not in the way Exeter University planned to have one at Penzance.

"You start with what you have and build on it," he said.

The college principals, Dr Stanhope, Bill Hill (St Austell), Jonathan Burnett
(Truro), and Richard Andruszko (Penwith), are urging the Government Office
of the South West to support bids to expand higher education.

The principals, who say Cornwall cannot afford to be without its own university,
feel that the growth in higher education together with the increased costs
would require more students to study locally.

However, Cornish students would lose out because there was inadequate locally
provided higher education.

The principals want local universities, further and higher education colleges
and stakeholders to get together to discuss university provision in Cornwall.
Ideally there should be agreement to avoid wasteful competition. "We
are all keen to contribute to these developments in a coordinated way appropriate
to the strengths of our respective colleges," they added.

Stuart Franklin, Exeter University press officer said that they welcomed
anything that would raise the profile of a university for Cornwall. He said
that the principals were using many of the arguments that had been used in
favour of the Trereife campus, and agreed there would be no point in duplicating
existing provisions. "We have never set out to compete with anyone, our
courses would be complementary," he said.

What was crucial about the Trereife proposal was that it would provide a
balance to the outflow of students going to other universities.

"We want the campus to attract students from outside the county to balance
the outflow." Concerning Penwith's decision Mr Franklin said that the
resolutions would be put to the University's council and it would be up to
them to decide how to respond.

"That can't happen until March 25 when the next council meeting is,"
he added.

Document preparation: Chris Salter, Original
Think-tank, Cornwall, United Kingdom.
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Last modification: 14th january 2002
Last information content change: 12th November 1998